Art walk honors ‘Art of the Harvest’

Fairfield 1st Fridays Art Walk will be celebrating the beginning of harvest time from 6-10:30 p.m. Friday on and near the Fairfield square.

The September art walk, “Harvestfest: Honoring the Art of the Harvest,” celebrates the bounty of the season, as well as all forms of artistic expression celebrating the bucolic beauty of the Iowan landscape and harvest. It also celebrates the indigenous culture of rural Iowa.

The art walk will include live music and entertainment at the Ron Prill Bandstand in Central Park.

Steve and Michaela McLain are scheduled to play from 6-7:30 p.m., followed by the Fairfield Square Dancers from 7:30-8 p.m. The evening will wrap up with The Giving Tree Band from 8-10:30 p.m.

Bidding and voting on artwork displayed in the Fairfield Art Association’s “Artful Obelisks,” a downtown exhibit in the garden nodes, end Friday.

Bid sheets for the obelisks are in the lobby of the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center for writing down bids until 9 p.m. Friday.

Voting for a favorite obelisk also takes place at the convention center.

Thirteen original sculptures were created by 15 local artists. Each piece is from 5 to 7 foot tall and weather proof; one piece even has a solar light to view the stained glass in it. Several of the obelisks are based on Fairfield’s 175th birthday celebration or Fairfield Area Community Theater’s 25th anniversary.

The summer art installations are a way to bring art out into the community. Visitors have been seen having their photos taken with the unique art pieces, and the art has ended up in collections across the country by way of the silent auction.

The summer art installations are a fundraiser for the Fairfield Art Association and support its classes, exhibits, events and local artists.

The project is supported in part by a Fairfield Iowa Convention and Visitors Buerau grant.

The Sac & Fox Lapidary Club’s annual Gem & Mineral Show will be open Friday evening at the convention center.

Businesses and local art galleries will be open with artwork on display.

Food and artistic vendors will be offering items.

For more information about Fairfield 1st Fridays Art Walk, an Iowa Tourism Event of the Year and recipient of the Iowa Tourism Office’s Tourism and the Arts award event, contact art walk executive director Cindy Woodbury at 233-8883, fairfieldartwalk@gmail.com or www.FairfieldArtWalk.org.